Run EOC & Torn Stars on the same PC!

Well, no more! I have a way to have both running just dandy on the same system. I wouldn't try running both at the same TIME, however, that's askin' for trouble...[|)]

First, you need one copy of EOC modded to Torn Stars, and another copy in its original (fully patched! ) form. I installed EOC to the path: "C:\program Files\games\Independence War 2 -Edge of Chaos" and Torn Stars to the path "F:\More Games\IWAR 2 - Torn Stars". It doesn't really matter which is which, so if you've already installed Torn Stars over your old EOC game, just reinstall EOC to a new folder with a new name/path of your choice.

OK, now whichever executable you run in either install, your system will actually execute the version you installed MOST RECENTLY. Bummer. There is, however, a reasonably easy solution. All it takes is a little registry hackin' . In fact, just copy each of the two text bits below (including "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00" and save with the extension ".reg" (not ".txt"!)to two separate files and you're set! I used the filename "EOC.reg" for the first one and "Torn Stars.reg" for the second. Yeah, I know, imaginative - lol.

OK, this 1st bit will be to set your game to run your original EOC. You'll need to change all instances where I show 'C:\\PROGRA~1\\GAMES\\INDEPE~1' to your actual install path for EOC. Yes, the backslashes are doubled! Keep in mind that these are old-school path names that are truncated to 8 characters.:
<font color="orange">Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Independence War 2 - Edge of Chaos]
"DisplayName"="Independence War 2 - Edge of Chaos"
"UninstallString"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\GAMES\\INDEPE~1\\UNWISE.EXE C:\\PROGRA~1\\GAMES\\INDEPE~1\\INSTALL.LOG"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Particle Systems\Edge of Chaos\Settings]
"Options"=dword:00000001
"InstallPath"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\GAMES\\INDEPE~1\\"
"Version"=dword:0000000e</font id="orange">

And now the version to set your system to run Torn Stars. Again, you'll need to change all instances where I show 'F:\\MOREGA~1\\IWAR2-~1' to your actual install path for Torn Stars.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Independence War 2 - Edge of Chaos]
"DisplayName"="Independence War 2 - Edge of Chaos"
"UninstallString"="F:\\MOREGA~1\\IWAR2 ~1\\UNWISE.EXE F:\\MOREGA~1\\IWAR2 ~1\\INSTALL.LOG"<font color="black"></font id="black">

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Particle Systems\Edge of Chaos\Settings]
"Options"=dword:00000001
"InstallPath"="F:\\MOREGA~1\\IWAR2 ~1"
"Version"=dword:0000000e

That's it! I've tested it and it works dandy. Just double-click (or right-click and select "Open") to activate the corresponding .reg file whenever you want to change the version that runs, then click "Yes" when it asks if you want to add the data to the registry. It's probably advisable to use a separate shortcut to each version - I do - but AFAIK you actually only need ONE; it'll run the version most recently switched to, whichever you choose. As a nice little bonus, as long as you switch to the correct version before you do so, uninstalling will also work correctly on either version...

Hope that helps.
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Wipe thine ass with what is Written and grin like a ninny at what is Spoken. Take thine refuge with thine wine in the Nothing behind Everything, as you hurry along the Path.

Another (less elegant) solution: make a copy of your eoc install. Name it something like c:\games\iwar2_old. Then install Torn Stars.

When you want to play the old version, rename your current c:\games\iwar2 to c:\games\iwar2_torn. Then rename iwar2_old to iwar2. Done. And it stays really clear which version of the game is currently "installed".

Some parts of EoC just cannot be modded. The spinning head movies are an example. And the spinning heads had to go. There are also some edits on the Flux.ini file (control config files and ship damage values) that cross all mods. Two installs is really the only choice. (Elite suffered similar issues).